Agenda - Planning Commission - 07/28/2022

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Danielle Holder, 7826 161st Avenue NW, stated that her biggest concern is the traffic on 161st, the stacking for parent pickup, and the traffic that would occur in the mornings. She stated that while the traffic flow looks great on paper, that is often not how it works in real life. She stated that she would like to see more wiggle room rather than a project designed to minimum standards. She believed that the size of the school should be reduced to properly manage the site or expand the area purchased to fit the additional needs. She expressed a concern from her neighbor to the north which mentioned that the sound study was only related to the PA system and not the attendees of the events. She asked how many days the residents would have to abstain from using their properties because of the noise from the games. She noted that not everyone enjoys the noise from sporting activities, and they should not have to be subjected to that. She asked that a study be done on the entire property including the noise from game attendees and HVAC units. She asked that this case be tabled until all those items are considered. Commissioner Walker asked if Ms. Holder participated in the neighborhood meeting with PACT and asked her interpretation of how that meeting went from a resident perspective. Ms. Holder commented that she felt that PACT listened to them and allowed them to speak but the response was that they would consider that further and welcome ideas as to how things could be fixed. She stated that residents are not engineers and are simply alerting everyone to the issues. She stated that she does not want to see the stadium require neighbors to stay in their homes on game days or get black out curtains to prevent the lights from shining in their windows. She recognized that the developer did listen to their concerns but did not feel that solutions were discussed. Amanda Patrow, 16209 Sapphire Street, commented that there are still many concerns after meeting with the PACT team. She stated that their concerns were expressed in great detail, and they feel that those issues have not been resolved including traffic and stacking for parent pick-up. She stated that the PACT team has stated that there is additional room on the north and west sides for parent pick-up but there did not seem to be adequate space on their plans. She noted that the issues of sound and lighting are also still issues for the surrounding residents. She asked the type of lighting that would be used for the sports field. She noted that the retention plan is not based on a 100-year flood event and therefore there could be impacts to the residents. She commented on the Federal floodplain that exists to the north, which is in the backyards of many residents. She commented that the retention pond was increased in size but still does not meet the requirements. She believed that many modifications would need to be made to the plans in order to prevent negative impacts to the residents in this area. Mr. Lindenberg commented that this children attended Anoka High School which has Castle Field for baseball. He noted that the PACT facility would probably be better than most of the other facilities where sporting events could be held. He explained that when there is a newer facility of better quality, the school is able to draw a majority of their opponents to their home field because of the quality of the facility. He asked that the Commission consider that when they are talking about the number of days the field could be in use. He noted that the field would be used for other spring, summer and fall sports as it will be an appealing facility. He asked that the Commission consider that the facility could also be rented for other use. Planning Commission/ June 23, 2022 Page 12 of 19